FAQ Honors Program

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Frequently Asked Questions for the Humanities Honors Program

Why Humanities Honors?

No matter where you chose to go on your educational path at San José State and beyond,
no matter what career you pursue after you graduate, studying Humanities will benefit
you. Becoming an individual who has cultural awareness, is well read, is proficient
in writing and verbal skills, and who demonstrates the ability to work at learning with
integrity is of great benefit to all of your future endeavors. There is a reason why
the Humanities Honors Program has been around for more than half a century and has
such high rates of success in retaining and graduating students. The Humanities Honors
Program can provide a student with a solid foundation of cultural awareness and understanding,
and makes the first experiences of university life supportive and nurturing.

Is Humanities Honors fun?

Imagine a cool spring evening at San José State University. In your dorm room, you
and your roommate sit, diligently doing homework. Suddenly, something sweeps down
from the sky and hovers outside of your window. Creatures like you've never seen before
emerge from an oddly shaped ship. One steps forward and asks you to explain what it
means to be human. How would you go about explaining our humanity to otherworldly
visitors? Would you read to them from a text like Shakespeare's Hamlet or the Epic of Gilgamesh? Or would you show these space visitors an image of a work of art like Michelangelo's
David, or play them some music instead, such as a piece by Beethoven or Nirvana? It is
safe to say that any work you study in Humanities Honors would be worthy of demonstrating
our humanistic accomplishments. Why not start by checking out our Reading List and ponder away?

What is the Humanities Honors Program?

The Humanities Honors Program is a lower division (first- and second-year) General
Education (GE) program for all majors designed to explore the insights and understandings
arrived at by world cultures. It develops analytical and expressive skills that enable
students to succeed at San José State as well as in life. This integrated program
allows students to fast track their way through the lower division GE requirements.

What does it mean to fast track through GE?

One six-unit class each semester for four semesters (24 units) satisfies: 36 units
of GE for Engineering majors and 30 units of GE for ALL other majors.

What sorts of material will I be studying?

The Humanities Honors curriculum focuses on primary texts and artifacts from all the
periods being studied (pre-history to the present). In delving into and analyzing
these primary sources, students will learn how cultures transform and influence one
another throughout history and have brought about the cultures of the world today.

Is it more work than other courses?

Actually, no. It is important to remember that Humanities Honors courses are six units
together (lecture and seminar.) While there are readings and assignments for a six-unit
class, the real advantage is in the continuity of preparing for classes, doing assignments,
and taking exams. For example, you will take one set of finals each semester on the
course material instead of several different final exams in various fields. Humanities
Honors course work is challenging, but the entire program has been framed to promote
student success in learning. We encourage questions and discussion with the aim of
creating faculty-student commitment to master the course content and skills for success
with integrity.

How much work is Humanities Honors exactly?

National data indicate that for each unit of course work a university student takes,
the student should expect to put in 2 hours of work outside of class per week. This
means that for students in Humanities Honors they should expect to put in 12 hours
of homework each week and budget their time accordingly. The work for this course
should be considered half of a student's semester schedule for a full-time 12-unit
load.

Can I Apply?

First and foremost, "Honors" in the Humanities Honors Program means "willing to work
with integrity." Typically, the program is open to entering first year students from
all majors who meet the qualifications, which are:

(1.) 3.0 overall high school GPA and?

(2.) 550+ score on the SAT Critical Reading section, or 24+ ACT verbal section, or
3+ score on AP English exam, or 150+ score on the English Placement Test (EPT).

Please note: students who have any questions about the requirements, or who wish to be considered for inclusion in the program
must contact Dr. Cynthia Rostankowski, the Coordinator for the Humanities Honors Program,
at Humanities-Honors-Program@sjsu.edu, or call her at 408-924-4508 for more information.
Once you have contacted us and indicated your interest, we can proceed with your application
process.

I'm an incoming freshman. How many units should I be taking my first semester at SJSU?

San José State and the Humanities Honors Program encourages all incoming first-year
students to take no more than 12 units their first semester. It is important to have
time to study and learn well, and to make new friends, adjust to the pace of university
life, and get acquainted with the campus.

What are the benefits of the way Humanities Honors is taught?

Humanities Honors is taught by a team of professors, which means more than simply
a group of professors who give separate lectures to the same group of students. The
professors in Honors lead a learning community and lecture not only to the students,
but also to each other. The collaboration creates a bond among professors, which notably
enhances student learning. In working together, professors are able to address lecture
topics from many scholarly perspectives. In addition, because so much of Humanities
Honors is cooperative, creating small student groups for studying together and preparing
for presentations and exams yields possibilities for making good friends over the
four semesters.

PS: You may be interested in being a part of the Spartan Honors Living Community. Go to http://housing.sjsu.edu/pros_community.html This living community is open to all lower division students who are taking the Humanities
Honors Program.

When does the Humanities Honors Program meet?

Humanities 1A for Fall 2015 will meet on Tues/Thurs 10:30-11:45 A.M. (lecture) and
12:00-1:15 P.M. (seminar) and will continue to meet at these days and times for all
two years. You will be given priority registration in the succeeding 3 semesters as
long as you are in the Program to make sure you will be able to schedule the rest
of your classes around your Honors courses.

What if I have more questions later?

For more information and other concerns please contact Dr. Cynthia Rostankowski by
email at Humanities-Honors-Program@sjsu.edu or by phone at 408-924-4508.